My wife and I have a long-standing... difference of opinion, shall we say, when it comes to the topic of stretching.

Full disclosure: she feels stretching is important, and I do not.

Links:

• Contact Us: Level 989
• Stretching - Wikipedia
• Current concepts in muscle stretching
• Stretching Before and After Exercise: Effect on Muscle Soreness and Injury Risk
• Types of Stretching
• 5 Types of Stretching | MyFoodDiary
• Ballistic Stretching: Is It Safe? | Healthline
• The Truth About Stretching: When It Helps and When It Doesn't
• Kegel exercise - Wikipedia

Tendons are made of tiny fibers that are closely packed in a parallel structure, and aligned in a wavelike or crimped pattern. When you really start reading the details of how this all works, it gets very complicated very quickly.

Links:

• Contact Us: Level 989
• Muscle - Wikipedia
• Ligament - Wikipedia
• Fascia - Wikipedia
• Connective tissue - Wikipedia
• Collagen - Wikipedia
• Tendon - Wikipedia
• Inflammation - Wikipedia
• Tendonitis and Tenosynovitis - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center
• Risk Factors: Chronic Inflammation - National Cancer Institute
• Tendinopathy - Wikipedia
• What is a Rheumatologist?
• De Quervain syndrome - Wikipedia

It was probably some time in the 1980’s when I heard about these crazy people who would move out into the middle of nowhere, into a trailer or some sort of small cottage and intentionally cut themselves off from ‘the grid’ of electricity and running water, in an attempt to live a simpler life. Might be great... But are there health concerns to consider when going off the grid or living in a tiny house?

Links:

• Contact Us: Level 989
• The Dog and the Snake
• The Orchard, 750 S.q F.t Park Model Home Designed And Built By IdeaBox | Great Small House Design - YouTube
• 8 Health Problems Caused by Van Living and Long-term Nomadic Lifestyle - YouTube
• Health Concerns About Living Off Grid...(Exteme Weather, Out House, etc.) - YouTube
• Our 5 Biggest CHALLENGES Living OFF GRID - YouTube
• Are tiny houses a big, bad idea? 77 reasons critics don't like them (photos) | OregonLive.com
• The Tiny House Movement and Livable Communities
• The Health Risks of Small Apartments - The Atlantic
• Tiny Houses - The Tiny House Dream Is Actually a Nightmare - Thrillist
• Tiny House Living: Indoor Air Quality
• CDC - Skin Cancer Statistics
• Preventing Melanoma | VitalSigns | CDC

There was a recent Bloomberg article from September 14th that I want to spend a few minutes reviewing. The article is titled, “Canadian Burger Chain Sells Out of Plant-Based Patties” and it’s by Jen Skerritt.

Links:

• Contact Us - Level 989
• Hold the Beef. Canadian Burger Chain Sees New Growth in Plants - Bloomberg
• Mung bean - Wikipedia
• Beetroot - Wikipedia
• Pea - Wikipedia
• A&W (Canada) - Wikipedia
• A&W Restaurants - Wikipedia
• Lab-grown meat could be in restaurants by 2021 - CBS News
• What Is 'Lab-Grown Meat' Called? - The Atlantic
• Canadian Burger Chain Sells Out of Plant-Based Patties - A&W offering of Beyond Burger exceeded expectations, CEO says: “Plant-based protein has gained in popularity and it really is something people are very interested in.” : Futurology

Many medical professionals continue to rely on complex medical terminology when discussing medical conditions and solutions with their patients - and this should change to more plain talk when it comes to diagnosis and solutions.

Links:

• Contact Us: Level 989
• Rx for British Doctors: Use Plain English Instead of Latin - The New York Times
• Martin Luther - Wikipedia
• Luther Bible - Wikipedia
• The use of Latin terminology in medical case reports: quantitative, structural, and thematic analysis
• The language of medicine

Our final weekly episode will be number 100 - there is still some time if there is a question you’ve been meaning to ask us, but get those questions in while you can. Just check the show notes for for the ‘Contact Us’ link.

Issues with swallowing have an official name - it’s called Dysphagia - the ‘Dys’ is from the Greek for difficulty or pain, and ‘Phagia’ which is Greek again, for ‘eating’. The microphages in our bodies are part of our immune system, and they eat invading cells.

Links:

• Contact Us - Level 989
• Dysphagia - Wikipedia
• Sarcopenia - Wikipedia
• Macroglossia - Wikipedia
• Oropharyngeal dysphagia in older persons – from pathophysiology to adequate intervention: a review and summary of an international expert meeting
• A review of swallow timing in the elderly. - PubMed - NCBI
• Sarcopenia in older adults
• Adult Dysphagia: Treatment
• Gould's Pathophysiology for the Health Professions, 5th Edition - 9781455754113
• Swallowing problems after stroke fact sheet — Stroke Foundation - Australia
• Difficulty Swallowing After Stroke (Dysphagia)
• Saliva - Wikipedia

“One single short vacation of four nights has positive effects on the well-being, recovery, strain, and perceived stress... independent of the mode of vacation. These effects are measurable even 30 days (recovery) and 45 days (well-being and strain) after the end of the short vacation.”

Links:

• Contact Us: Level 989
• Short Vacation Improves Stress-Level and Well-Being in German-Speaking Middle-Managers—A Randomized Controlled Trial
• List of minimum annual leave by country - Wikipedia
• Perceptions of work stress causes and effective interventions in employees working in public, private and non-governmental organisations: a qualitative study
• Vacation Appendicitis

Ptosis - a drooping eyelid - can be the sign of serious conditions... Cancer, brain tumor, stroke, or neuromuscular disorders - but these are typically seen in adults. Congenital ptosis - that is, a droopy eyelid you’re born with - is typically a problem with the specific muscle that raises the eyelid rather than a more systemic problem, but deeper problems do occur, and are more rare.

Links:

• Contact Us: Level 989
• What is a Lazy Eye or Amblyopia? How Do You Get and How to Fix Lazy Eye? Treatments: Surgery, Eye Exercises, Vision Therapy - Scientific Research
• Amblyopia - Wikipedia
• Definition of Amblyopia
• Definition of Lazy eye
• Strabismus (Crossed Eyes): Learn About Causes and Treatment
• Anatomy of the Eye — AAPOS
• Ptosis: Droopy Eyelid Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
• Ptosis: causes, presentation, and management. - PubMed - NCBI
• Ptosis Crutches - Google Search
• Ptosis crutches - Wikipedia
• Frontalis Suspension Procedure
• Clinical presentation and management of congenital ptosis
• Eye Drops to Treat Childhood Eye Disorder | National Eye Institute
• Atropine - Wikipedia
• Dilating Eye Drops — AAPOS
• Thor and Loki
• Steve Buscemi
• Paul Giamatti

We’ve done episodes on or discussed quite a few different diet plans or eating philosophies or... whatever you’d like to call them, from Eating Clean, to Eating Bugs, to Paleo, Gluten Free, and more.

Now, anything and everything a person might dream up in the present day and think was a new idea was almost certainly invented in China or Persia or Ancient Greece, so I’m not even going to look for this idea I have, since I’ll discover that Socrates first suggested it in 390 BC and then I’ll feel like not doing this topic as an episode.

Links:

• Contact Us - Level 989
• Botulism - Wikipedia
• Foods to avoid giving your baby - NHS.UK
• Medicines you shouldn't give your baby or toddler | BabyCenter
• Reye syndrome - Wikipedia
• "Forbidden" Baby Foods - Wholesome Baby Food
• Feeding Your 9- to 12-Month-Old
• 7 chemicals and toxins to avoid when buying baby products | TreeHugger
• Vanilla: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, and Warning

It might be hard to believe for some of you - how could anyone be addicted to listening to something? Especially just listening to people talking. Could you be addicted to listening to music? Is it a silly question? Really, all of our brains are different. You can become addicted to any behavior.

Links:

• Contact Us - Level 989
• Behavioral addiction - Wikipedia
• Impulse control disorder - Wikipedia
• Cognitive behavioral therapy - Wikipedia
• What makes podcasts so addictive and pleasurable?
• This Is Your Brain on Podcasts: Why Audio Storytelling Is So Addictive - The Atlantic
• I’m addicted to nearly 50 podcasts - The Kernel
• Podcasts Are the New Xanax - The Atlantic
• I was a podcast addict | Salon.com
• VerityPodcast.com | Six Smart Women Discussing Doctor Who
• The Incomparable - Smart, funny pop culture podcasts
• This American Life
• Hardcore History
• Hello Internet
• Random Trek - a podcast from The Incomparable
• There'sNoPlaceLikeTerra | There's No Place Like Terra | Free Listening on SoundCloud
• Song Exploder
• The Adventure Zone | Maximum Fun